2016 LAST CALL FINALE EVENT

PUNCH BEFORE IT WAS PUNCH

(n.) Before the single-serve cocktail became popular, mixed drinks were made in large-format style, called punch, and served in bowls. Classic examples of the category contain a variation on five ingredients: spirits, sugar, water, spice and citrus. Some speculate that punch originated with expats in India as a way to mask the flavor of inferior spirits (“punch” is thought to be derived from the Indian word for five, “panch”), and the trend spread via sailors to England and the Americas. Whatever the story, by the 18th century, punch was ubiquitous, made of an assortment of liqueurs, juices, sugars, spices and creams in a rainbow of variations. A quickly industrializing world, however, soon laid waste to the shared punch bowl, favoring individualized drinks instead. Alongside the cocktail renaissance, recent entries in the bar scene have attempted to revive the tradition for the modern audience. Popular examples of the category include the Gin Punch and the Philadelphia Fish House Punch.